When most parents, teachers, students, and guardians think of the Nobles athletic program, many of their thoughts consist of ISL titles, NEPSAC championships, undefeated seasons, and the performances of incredible athletes. However, the Nobles team behind successful games, matches, races, and seasons is our group of trainers.
After assuming her role as the Director of Sports Medicine in the fall of 2018, Gwen Chiaranda began overseeing athletic training, supervising interns, and monitoring the health of Nobles student-athletes. Before Nobles, Chiaranda entered college on the pre-medical track. However, the more Chiaranda progressed in her education, the more she realized that sports medicine interested her, as she was looking for a more dynamic and engaging work environment.
After graduating from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor’s degree in sports nutrition, three years later, Chiaranda narrowed her educational focus and went on to receive a Master’s degree in athletic training from Bridgewater State University. “When I went to college at the University of Vermont, a whole world of things opened up to me, and I met people who were directly affected by athletic trainers, and it led me to make the decision I made to become an athletic trainer. I thought that it was really cool that you get to help people and be in a dynamic setting,” Chiaranda said.
After assuming the role of Director of Sports Medicine, she has worked to prioritize inclusivity within the athletic department, regardless of skill. “I think sometimes, depending on where you are, treatment can be a little skewed. But I want the most self-described unathletic student to be treated exactly the same as the five-star varsity recruit. I want our department—I want us as athletic trainers—to be seen as people who want to help and support, and I genuinely want to make sure that every single kid learns things they can take with them beyond here,” Chiaranda said
“I want the most self-described unathletic student to be treated exactly the same as the five-star varsity recruit.”
In addition to her goals involving equity in care, Chiaranda described her investment in student advocacy. “My goals are for [students] to graduate high school and to be able to have a conversation with a healthcare provider about their bodies and speak up and be autonomous, and have confidence. I think part of my job here is also teaching you that you are a very active participant in your healthcare,” Chiaranda said.
After attending graduate school, Chiaranda worked for six years at Stonehill College as an Assistant Athletic Trainer to their college football team, where athletes competed in the Division II Northeast-10 Conference (NE10).
Chiaranda’s last role before becoming Nobles’ Director of Sports Medicine was as the Assistant Director of Athletics and Recreation for Sports Medicine at Assumption College. At Assumption, she helped oversee and manage four other certified athletic trainers while also attending to over 500 student-athletes, working around 60 to 75 hours a week for 10 months of the year.
When asked about her reasoning behind her shift from Assumption to Nobles, Chiaranda discussed her desire for more freedom in her schedule so that she could spend more time with family and friends. “I liked it a lot. I’d worked there for five years, so, in total, I had worked in collegiate athletic training for 10 years, and I decided to shift to focusing more on my quality of life,” Chiaranda said. Chiaranda has spent more time with her family and friends after becoming Director of Sports Medicine at Nobles and has continued going on hikes and adventures with her wife and two dogs. Chiaranda also discussed spending time with her godchildren. “I have four really close friends, three of whom I met in college, one of whom after, and three of them have children. So they and my niece are my godchildren. Four of my godchildren are under the age of seven, and I like to spend time with them,” Chiaranda said. In addition to spending time with family and friends, Chiaranda also enjoys trying new Mexican food and working out.
Inside Nobles, Chiaranda has taken an active role in the community, assuming many roles over her six years at Nobles. Chiaranda serves as an advisor and teacher to six personal development (PD) classes in addition to being a director and athletic trainer. “I started teaching PD so I could meet kids outside the athletic training room before they got hurt. I wanted to be able to talk to kids more and learn more about their day-to-day lives,” Chiaranda said.
“I started teaching PD so I could meet kids outside the athletic training room before they got hurt. I wanted
to be able to talk to kids more and learn
more about their day-to-day lives.”
“No matter where I was looking for work, the appeal was how much I was able to spend with my friends and family outside of work, while still getting all the things out of work that I really enjoy, specifically the relationships and seeing kids get better. I also really enjoy being part of the Nobles community. This is a really special place, and being community-centric and relationship-centric puts a personal touch on every aspect of the school,” Chiaranda said. Chiaranda recalled an interaction in the spring of 2023 during a Boys Varsity Lacrosse game against Governors Academy with Thatcher Bernstein (Class I, Class III at the time) that she believed truly encompassed the essence of the Nobles community. “It was a playoff game for Boys Varsity Lacrosse, and Thatcher Bernstein came off the field because the head of the shaft of his stick had broken. In the middle of the frantic game, none of the coaches would pay attention to him and help fix the stick, but I noticed he needed help, so I helped him change the head of a stick and gave it to him just in time to be subbed back in. Immediately after he ran onto the field and scored a goal within seconds, he turned from the crease and pointed at me. I think it really just affirmed that an athletic trainer is a part of a team. I think we kind of sometimes are forgotten when teams win championships, and they huddle for a picture at the end. It’s often the coaches and the players, but people rarely remember that the athletic trainer was probably a part of the process and the team, too,” Chiaranda said.
In regard to her legacy as the Director of Sports Medicine, kindness emerges as Chiaranda’s top priority. “I want to be remembered for my kindness, respect for others, and the basic assumption that everybody deserves to be happy. I hope that for all of my faults, which I’m certainly guilty of many, I hope that people remember me as kind,” Chiaranda said.
